1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a steering assembly for a marine vessel and, in particular, to a steering assembly for a marine vessel with vertically offset propulsion units.
2. Description of the Related Art
Marine vessels are often provided with more than one propulsion unit. Typically tie bars are used to mechanically couple the propulsion units. U.S. Pat. No. 6,406,340 to Fetchko et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 7,128,626 to Dudra et al., the full disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, both disclose using a tie bar to couple propulsion units on a marine vessel. This allows the propulsion units to be steered simultaneously.
It is also known to provide steering assemblies which accommodate vertically offset propulsion units. U.S. Pat. No. 6,699,082 to Zeigler et al., the full disclosure of which is also incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses a steering assembly using spacers to accommodate vertical offsets between propulsion units. However, in the steering assembly disclosed by Zieger et al., the tie bars are connected to the propulsion units on a horizontal plane.
There is accordingly a need for an improved steering assembly for marine vessels with vertically offset propulsion units.